


Golden Magics

by KairiasYami2



Series: Magic [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: A World Where Magic Is As Common As Math, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Artificial Intelligence, Gen, Magic, Magical Artificial Intelligence, Modern Magic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-22
Updated: 2020-03-13
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:00:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22855888
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KairiasYami2/pseuds/KairiasYami2
Summary: In a world where magic is known and common, but only truly mastered by those with the money to pay for tutoring, Lisa Henri has the determination to prove that just because she doesn’t come from money doesn’t mean she can’t be a Powerful Wizard.However, if she wants to gain any kind of recognition or respect from the Magical Community, she will have to do something incredibly risky. Something considered impossible. Something that will undoubtedly come with consequences.Between battling her new motherly instincts and way too many corrupt magicians, Lisa certainly has her work cut out for her.(Working Title, may be changed at some point.)
Series: Magic [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1756219
Kudos: 3





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! So I have been working on this for a while, and I have about five or six chapters written, and the plot mostly mapped out, but this is mostly to see if anyone is interested in this idea. I don't know if I'll post the whole story on here, since I do hope (fate willing) to one day publish this story officially. As in, as a real book in the real world. Which is crazy and an impossible thought, but one that I'm holding on to. 
> 
> I hope you guys like this, and I hope you'll tell me what you think! I'd really appreciate any kind of criticism, as long as it's constructive.
> 
> Thanks for reading!! :D

**_Lisa Henri_ **

**_2019 Augustis 23_ **

**_The History of Magic and the Developing Sentience of Magic Creations Over Time_**

**_Introduction_ **

_Magic is complicated. It is very, very complicated, and there’s a reason a person can’t just learn magic on a whim. It takes a very intense, very lengthy period of studying to even master the basics, much less any of the more complex magics. There are only a few known exceptions to this, among them Genies and Fairies._ *****

_However, that is just speculation, as well as off topic._

_As I was saying, magic is incredibly complicated. Once, it was fact that a person could study one spell for weeks on end, and barely manage to make it work, and then take many more years to truly master it._

_However, as it has happened to most things in modern times, humankind has created many loopholes to make magic easier and more commonplace. Once, magic was rare, with only the most dedicated of Disciples even becoming Apprentices, much less full Masters. To most of the human population, magic and those who could use it was seen as the equivalent as miracles and gods. Often, those old Magic users would take advantage of the awe the populace felt for them, and would create myths around themselves. This is how the religions of different regions were created; the Greek and Roman Pantheons, the spirits of Shintoism, the many and many different gods, goddesses and other such entities who were worshipped by ancient people. For the most part, they were all Sorcerers or Wizards or Warlocks, or any other magically powerful person, who used their power for their own gain._ ******

_As time passed, more and more people began to learn how to wield Magic, and people came along who revolutionized how Magic was used. From wands, staffs, and other foci that are useful to focus the caster’s attentions and magnify the effects of the spells, to different ways of visualizing magic that allowed a wider range of people to begin the long journey of learning Magic._

_However, for many centuries, despite that Magic was an open secret, the average person likely would not have known that Magic was real unless they personally knew someone who could use Magic. That changed as the 19th Century transitioned into the 20th, and as Mundane technology increased, so too did the technology of Magic. As both increased, Magic became harder to hide, and those who wielded it became less inclined to hide it. Of course, there was conflict, because people have trouble with change and those that are different than them, but the world was okay, for the most_ part. *******

_Eventually, we reach today. While we have yet to fully understand all of the universe’s mysteries, we have decoded quite a few._

_Magic is complicated for many reasons, but one of them is due to the plethora of rules a person must learn if they wish to be successful at casting any sort of Spell. Some of these rules are more along the lines of actual Laws of Nature, such as the impossibility of truly reviving the dead. If someone, even the most powerful and knowledgeable of Sorcerers, tried to bring back the dead, the best they would be able to accomplish would be a reanimated body that followed old routines, but had no true sentience._

_Others of these rules of Magic are more guidelines about what is or is not a good idea - possible, but not advised. For example, interfering with time in_ anyway. ********

_There are many of these “guidelines,” yet there is one that is simultaneously the most intriguing and the least investigated._

_Yes, after several pages of rambling, I finally get to the main topic of this paper. To me, the most interesting Theory about Magic, is the Sentience of Magic._

_It is a highly debated topic around the world, with plenty of evidence on both sides on whether or not Magic has any type of Sentience, and plenty of religious people saying that Magic is in fact God (or some variation)._

_This paper is my interpretation of the Theory._

_I firmly believe that Magic is Sentient, and has been for a long time, even if it didn’t start out that way, and I have proof. There have been a few papers about this, but hopefully I can give a new point of view and help the world take one step closer to the Truth._

_The proof that I have is much too vast to fully explain in this introductory piece, so I shall summarize: it is well known that if a piece of magic lasts for long periods of time, the piece of magic becomes Quirky. It is for this reason that Long-Lasting Magic is rare and usually frowned upon._

_The development of sentience in Enchanted Objects isn’t the most studied phenomenon, for two reasons. One, Sentient Magic Creations are not easily controlled, and thus could be dangerous even in a controlled setting. Two, if they cannot be controlled, or if the study ends, it is hard to decide what to do with the Magic Creature. It is sentient, so would it be ethical to kill it? But it might not be safe to simply let it lose, in case it decided to be violent._

_Despite the underwhelming amount of studies about it, there is one widely accepted fact: The type of magic, the emotions of the caster, and the amount of magic applied all influence how much sentience and personality an enchantment might gain over time._

_A casually made enchantment by a weak apprentice would perhaps have the mental capacity of a fly, or of a particularly dumb goldfish, and would be very passive. However, a malevolent enchantment by a powerful Sorcerer might grow the cognitance of a particularly smart ape._

_It is for this reason that I believe Magic itself must be Sentient. There has been quite a bit of recent proof that shows that magic is everywhere, and is constantly active. It is influenced by the emotions and intentions of those around it, even when a spell isn’t being cast. That seems to check off the same list as to what influences the sentience of individual enchantments. Influenced by emotions and constantly active._

_It is not a fool-proof argument, but that is not the point of this paper. This paper is designed to open up discussion, so that someday we have a fool-proof argument._

* * *

“So? What do you think? It’s not done, I gotta get all of my sources sorted and cited, and I should probably flesh out some of my arguments, not to mention there’s not even a conclusion yet, but I wanted a second pair of eyes before I move on to my next draft. It’s best to have a good foundation and all that.”

“It was so interesting! I just can’t believe this is what you’re studying in college! In my day, we certainly didn’t have Magic Classes. Oh, I’m so jealous. I do have one question though. Don’t you think this is a little casual? I mean, you keep using ‘I’, and you address the reader so casually. When I was in school, I would be told off if I wrote like that.”

She laughs. “Don’t worry Mom. I’ve worried about it myself before, since in high school english it’s certainly taboo to write things such as ‘I’, but college is a lot more relaxed in some ways, and Professor Danse is super laid back. He’s always telling us to call him Peter, his first name. He’s been telling us since the beginning of the year to write our papers as if we were writing it to a younger sibling. Easy to understand, and casual. So, do you think I achieved that? I don’t exactly have a younger sibling to share it with.”

“Well, I do think there are a couple of moments where even I was confused by what you were saying, so someone younger would probably be incredibly confused. And I think...”

She smiles, bringing out a notebook to write down everything her mom is saying. This paper is going to be published, and though she cares more about getting a good grade right now, she still wants to make sure her first research paper that will be shown to the world is as perfect as can be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Asterisks are what are footnotes in my main copy of this work. Hope it's not too much of a hassle to scroll down.
> 
> *There is much debate about why, exactly, these types of beings are capable of such incredible magics with such lack of effort and training, and most seem to attribute it to the fact that both species are Magic Creatures that are born, rather than created. Now, there is of course even more debate as to the origins of Genies, considering many myths claim them to be ex-humans, cursed into their current forms until they can trick another into taking their place. However, while the Genies themselves don’t talk much of their creation, there is more evidence to suggest that Genies were in someway born, even if it isn’t in the traditional way most living creatures are born, than there is evidence that they were once human. Really, some texts suggest that the real reason that all known Genies are cursed to grant wishes is due to the fact that during some ancient magical conflict, the Genies were on the losing side, and being cursed was the punishment.
> 
> **However, I would like to make a disclaimer that I am not saying that there is no higher power; despite my many years of study, I am no closer than anyone else to discovering the truth of religion and God, etc.
> 
> ***For a more in depth description of how magic influenced the development of human history and theories as to how history may have progressed without magic’s existence, see page 7 of this paper, titled “An In Depth History of the Magical and Mundane.”
> 
> ****Speeding up or slowing down time is relatively simple for most trained Magicals, but it can have negative consequences if done for too long, such as ruining a person’s aging process, or ruining their ability to perceive time; this is true to an even greater degree for the act of stopping time altogether. However, any kind of time travel is highly, highly unadvised, as no one yet understands time enough to ensure that there wouldn’t be terrible consequences for the person who attempts to time travel, or even for the world as a whole. Paradoxes are just the least of our worries. For more information, see page 21 of this paper, titled “Time Travel, Highly Unadvised.”


	2. Hopes, Dreams, and Magic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lisa Henri has wished to be a Wizard her whole life. Since as far back as she can remember, she has been devouring any information on Magic that she can get her hands on. Her family was never rich enough to afford to send her to any of the fancy schools designed to teach children the basics of Magic, to make later study easier. Instead, she was forced to scour old bookstores for any possible journals or books that could teach her in place of any teachers. The minimal history and information provided to her by the public school she attended was nowhere near enough for her.

_“One might say that Magic is unknowable, and to the ignorant masses, that is the case. However, for those of proper birth and learning, Magic is a glorious puzzle to solve.”_

**_\--James C. Jones, 1832_ **

* * *

Lisa Henri has wished to be a Wizard her whole life. Since as far back as she can remember, she has been devouring any information on Magic that she can get her hands on. Her family was never rich enough to afford to send her to any of the fancy schools designed to teach children the basics of Magic, to make later study easier. Instead, she was forced to scour old bookstores for any possible journals or books that could teach her in place of any teachers. The minimal history and information provided to her by the public school she attended was nowhere near enough for her.

She eventually managed to teach herself enough to be accepted into one of the Magic Courses at a private college out of state, but it was hard.

It was incredibly hard, because even once she knew as much as her properly educated peers did, she didn’t have the ability to buy any kind of Foci to aid her in spellcasting. Without a Foci, it would take her at least five times as long to learn the same spells as someone who did have one. Once again, if it weren’t for her fierce determination, she would have given up her dreams long ago and settled for taking up her family’s bakery. Not a bad life, not at all, but not the life she wanted to live. Instead, she taught herself how to make her own Foci.

It was a cheap substitute, using foggy colored glass found on the side of the road and a cheap wooden bat she found lying on the street instead of the usual clear jewel and specially carved wood professionals used. But it worked, and she began to teach herself spells by spying on the practices of the rich kids who _could_ afford to attend the fancy Magic Schools.

She admits - she was a bit of a punk as a teenager (probably still is, she would admit, if she wanted to be honest), and it wasn’t helped by the fact she carried her bat with her everywhere she could. She had countless piercings, all carefully carved by her and all having Runes etched into them that had special properties; some of them were meant to improve learning speeds, others were meant to maintain a comfortable temperature around her body. None of them were perfect, but she was steadfast in her determination, and Runes were one of the easier Magic Subjects she could study. Once she got the Runic Alphabet memorized, she was able to create any sort of spell she wanted simply by describing what she wanted with them. It may not have been how the ‘professionals’ used Runes, and if anyone ever found out what she was doing she’d likely get in a lot of trouble, but it worked for her so she wasn’t going to let things like “rules” get in her way.

Besides, one of the most repeated phrases in all of her books was that up to 80% of magic is about determination and willpower, both of which she had in spades, so Lisa would say she was doing fine.

She also had several tattoos, none of them approved by her parents, that all worked together as protection wards and health enhancers. Once again, her intense study into any type of magic she could get her hands on meant that she had long since memorized the written Chinese alphabet due to its ancient connections to all kinds of blessings and curses, even if she couldn’t speak the language. Written all over her body in permanent inks were blessings written in the most ancient forms of Chinese, and embedded with all of the Magic she could muster up.

Despite her appearance and reputation, however, she did manage to get into a good college with a Magic Course, and once she got to show her stuff, she impressed her professors enough that they approved her move into the Magic Course. 

She was ecstatic.

Finally, she would have actual instruction from real teachers, finally she would have peers as interested in and dedicated to Magic and all of its many forms as she was. Finally, she would have people who understood her and her passions.

But like many things in life, things did not play out as her dreams and expectations wished they would.

She does not find any kindred spirits among her peers. Other than herself, they are all the children of rich, influential families, who have been learning Magic for their whole lives and who are thus bored of doing so. Unlike her, who’s had to fight and struggle for every ounce of knowledge and power she has managed to capture, these people have been gifted them, and thus find it all supremely useless.

Lisa...She can remember being so _incredibly_ angry. These spoiled, wretched people, who got everything she has ever wanted handed to them on a silver platter, and they _take it for granted_. Looking back, Lisa finds herself glad that she was unable to bring her Magic Bat with her on the airplane, and thus had to have it shipped to her. If she had had her Bat with her during those first few weeks, especially before she had been accepted into the Magic Course, she probably would be sitting in jail for at the very least aggravated assault.

However, that’s neither here nor there. Lisa found herself mourning her hopes and dreams of having understanding peers and fascinating Magic Classes. Her peers were spoiled, dull, and incredibly arrogant; her appearance made them instantly dismiss her, and she found herself still friendless after relying on the hope of on finally having close friends. And her classes...well. It turns out, when you are entirely self-taught, it is hard to adjust to learning from a teacher in a classroom. Things were done differently than she had been doing them, spells cast more strictly, and the idea of using Runes or Chinese Script to weave spells was apparently a thing only a very specific niche of Magic Users did, and none of them used _both_ . She has to hold herself back from starting fights, with both her fellow students and with her teachers, and sometimes she fails. Lucky for her, all the fights she has been a part of were with arrogant rich kids who never reported her, because they didn’t want to admit they lost to someone like _her_ . ( _Poor. Wild. Undisciplined and Savage. Unworthy of Magic, and an Outcast._ **_Worthless._ ** _)_

So, instead of finally finding her place in the world like she had dreamt and expected, Lisa simply finds herself disappointed and more alone than ever before. But, as always, she doesn’t allow any hardship to get in her way. She studies, and even when she feels weird doing as her teachers say, even when the spells feel too stiff or constricting, she marches on, getting A’s and B’s in her classes (because she won’t accept anything less, and neither will her doubting teachers), proving to herself that she _can_ do this. ( _Because if they are so unwilling to see any potential in me,_ she tells herself, _then I don’t need their approval._ She pretends she believes it.)

She had lied to her family so many times as a teenager, hiding her pursuits in the worry they would force her to stop. But now, after coming clean (even about the illegal tattoos she got without permission, wasn’t _that_ a fun conversation to have), they do not disdain her for her passions. Her family supports her, and she loves them for it, but none of them have any passion for Magic. Oh, they find it fascinating, and they “ooh” and “aah” when she shows off some of the spells she has mastered, but to them it is a topic not dissimilar to how a computer works. Cool, but too complicated and out of their interests for them to really focus on. That’s not to say they are unintelligent, but none of them ever had the determination Lisa did to push beyond what is expected of her.

She’s finally in her last year of college, and in Professor Danse’s Advanced Theoretical Magic class. She really does love Professor Danse, because he’s so incredibly laid-back and willing to see things from different points of views, unlike so many of her previous professors who would accept things done one way, and only that way. So when he proposed a final project, a research paper to be published in a world-famous Magic magazine by her Professor along with the papers of all of her classmates, Lisa felt a familiar fire flare up inside her.

Which leads her to today: working to write the best damn paper the world ever did see, so that her peers will finally look beyond her background, and the world can finally see that you didn’t need money or connections to become a powerful Wizard. Her mother is so wonderfully supportive, and Lisa is incredibly thankful that all of the secrets she kept as a teenager aren’t causing resentment between them. 

Despite all her determination she has and all the support she’s received from her family, there is a part of her that will always say “you’re nothing. You’re worthless, a tryhard who will never amount to anything.” It sounds like every arrogant asshole Lisa has ever met in her life, and that should make it easy to ignore, but it isn’t. And there is something in the back of her mind that tells her that the only way to gain any sort of recognition for her skills and all of her hard work is to do something _crazy_.

She plays with her many earrings as she thinks. She already has some measure of fame (or rather, infamy), simply because of her unorthodox use of Magics. And while she knows it’s unwise, she can’t help but be drawn to a very specific thing that she could do, that would surely gain her untold amounts of recognition.

But if she wants to do this, she’s going to have to plan things out very, _very_ carefully.


	3. Probably Unwise Decisions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lisa heaves a sigh. “I can do this. I have planned this out religiously. I am the most prepared I could possibly be. I can do this.” She gazes at the mess in front of her. It is a mishmash of countless Magical Studies, all of which she has taught herself, and all of which has been meticulously recorded, so she has proof of what she’s done when she succeeds.
> 
> If she succeeds.

**_Argen Herod_ **

**_1997 Decembris 11_ **

**_A Treatise On The Possibilities of Magical Sentience and the Dangers of Such Studies_ **

_ {Excerpt from page 43, paragraph 3...} _

_ There have been many such dangerous attempts to recreate Diamon’s experiments on the subject, but all have been abject failures. There have been many who claim that Diamon’s results were fabricated by said man, and the fact all following attempts have failed give credence to this theory.  _

_ All attempts have followed the same procedure and.... _

_. _

_...but there is one indisputable fact: any who attempt to create an Artificial Intelligence using Magic must be prepared for catastrophic failure. _

* * *

Lisa heaves a sigh. “I can do this. I have planned this out religiously. I am the most prepared I could possibly be.  _ I can do this _ .” She gazes at the mess in front of her. It is a mishmash of countless Magical Studies, all of which she has taught herself, and all of which has been meticulously recorded, so she has proof of what she’s done when she succeeds.

If she succeeds.

_ No, I can’t think like that. Magic is about determination and willpower, and if I doubt myself, my willpower might weaken. _ She takes another deep breath. “I can do this. I can do this.” She continues this mantra as she goes over her work one final time. She only has the money to rent out this warehouse for today, so she has to get it right on the first try. She’s already spent several hours simply laying down everything she needs to see this through.

The Runes, which she created months ago to store her Magic over time, have integrated into the Arabic Script that she taught herself for this, which is meant to transfer the Stored Magic into Active Magic to be used in the enchantment. The enchantment will be going onto the object she has prepared with this very moment in mind; it is a knee high doll she carved out of a large branch from the well-loved oak tree in the center of campus. It is sexless, but otherwise anatomically correct and clothed in the best doll clothes she could make. 

The enchantment itself is the thing she’s spent the most work on. Since it would take a long and difficult casting to complete it, she’s transcribed as much as she possibly could in Chinese Scripts so that she has a minimal amount of casting to do herself. Instead, once she gets her part out of the way, the Scripts that she created will take over and complete the enchantment for her. It is the most complex enchantment she has ever seen, much less done, and she is incredibly proud of it. It is a protection enchantment, but she’s included more into it than simply “protect whomever possess this object,” as most protection enchantments do.

Her enchantment is multi-layered. There is the main layer, which is simply instructions to protect the object it is attached to, as well as whoever possesses it. The layer below it instructs how the enchantment is to protect: no harm is to come to any living being unless it is the only way for the protection to be complete. The following layers contain instructions that are meant to facilitate a thinking being, and largely do not relate to protection. There is a layer or two designed to help her potential Intelligence speak and understand language. A layer is dedicated to its ability to move and manipulate the body she has created for it. Several layers are dedicated to learning and reasoning, and several more are dedicated to a moral system. Lisa may want to create what amounts to a person, but she doesn’t want it going rogue or anything. That would be bad.

The layers expand outward in a spiral, surrounding the doll, and altogether look very striking.

The final piece in the puzzle is her newest earring, one she only puts on now. It is designed for the sole purpose of enhancing her emotions, of making them overwhelming. Once this is over, she probably won’t ever wear it again, because this kind of enhanced emotion is dangerous in day to day life. But it has a purpose in today’s endeavor.

She nods her head as she confirms everything looks right, and sets her journal down a ways away from her work; wouldn’t want it ruined if things get messy.

She takes one more deep breath to settle herself. She closes her eyes, preparing herself and drawing on her magic. Her grip on her Bat tightens. Her eyes open and the world around her is brighter than a moment ago. She begins tracing the paths in the air with her Bat, and the Scripts at her feet begin to glow faintly.

As she speaks the words she has practiced countless times, she allows herself to focus on the strong feelings of love and protectiveness she feels for her Mom, her Dad, her older sister Amy, and her dearest cat Potato. She forces herself to imagine them in danger, so that she can manifest those feelings. She needs the strongest possible feelings for this, if she wants to succeed in her goal. She grasps tightly to her Bat, and she can feel a few tears escape her eyes as she is filled with pure love for her family.

After a good fifteen minutes of chanting, Lisa finally comes to the end of her part in her plan, and sags in exhaustion. She has used up all of the energy and Magic she has, and can only hope that the Magic she poured into her Runes for the last several months will be enough to finish the enchantment.

The light produced by all of the Active Magic in the air becomes blinding, and she closes her eyes to protect them.


	4. A Waiting Game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lisa wakes up on a cold, hard floor, with a large hand shaking her shoulder.

**_Lisa Henri_ **

**_2019 Augustis 23_ **

**_The History of Magic and the Developing Sentience of Magic Creations Over Time_ **

_ {Excerpt from page 25, paragraph 2} _

_. . . “Long-Lasting Magic” is, of course, a rather confusing phrase. When it is used, it is not referring to an object that was transformed or created; both of those usages of Magic rely on one moment of Magic use as the spell is cast. Any magic that remains is passive, and often very faint. No, the type of magic that is referred to when the phrase “Long-Lasting Magic” is used are enchantments. Enchantments are one of the simplest categories of Magic, and when using a wand, even the most Novice of Magic Users can cast an enchantment. _

_ An example of an enchantment is an object, such as a bracelet, with an active spell on it that creates some effect, such as protection from poisons. So, in this example, a person puts a spell that prevents poison from being ingested or injected onto a bracelet, and then uses the bracelet to stop whoever has the bracelet from being poisoned. _

_ On the opposite side of the spectrum, a person could enchant a dagger to be sharper, so when they use the knife it cuts deeper. . .  _

_. _

_. . . Now that I have finished with the nitty-gritty details, however, I thought I’d have fun by walking us through a “what-if” scenario before I finish.  _

_ What if a Genie cast their most powerful protection enchantment on someone they loved dearly? Genies are some of the most powerful beings in existence, so any spell of theirs would already be guaranteed to have a considerable amount of Sentience. Add that to the fact it is well observed that when a person is doing something in defense of a loved one, they gain quite a bit of strength; adrenaline forcing people past their usual limits, such as mothers lifting cars off of their children, or fathers casting healing spells that should be impossible so that they can cure their children.  _

_ This hypothetical enchantment could very well lead to the creation of an entity that is as smart as or smarter than the average human. This could open up so many interesting debates; when does something become considered “alive”? How do you measure something’s Sentience? If this hypothetical entity did exist, would it be allowed the same rights as any other creature? Should it be allowed those rights? _

_ I don’t have any of those answers for those questions right now, as it is a hypothetical situation, but they are very interesting thought pieces. _

* * *

Lisa wakes up on a cold, hard floor, with a large hand shaking her shoulder. She cracks open her eyes, and finds a tall, stern-looking older man kneeling over her. He is familiar, but it takes her moment to place why - he is the man she had talked to so that she was allowed to use the warehouse. A Mr. Foreman, she thinks his name is.  _ What is he doing here? _ She is supposed to be alone in the warehouse all day. “...Wh-what?” She barely manages to force the words out before she bursts into a fit of coughs; her mouth and throat are incredibly dry, as though she hadn’t had anything to drink in days.

“Little Miss, are you okay?” The man gets her attention with his calm tone, and she mimics drinking something. She hopes he has some water, she feels like she’s about to die. As the man nods, she notices that she is holding something.

Looking down, she sees the doll she had enchanted cradled in her arms, and realizes it looks different. It no longer appears to be made of wood; while she can feel it is, it looks more like an expensive painted porcelain doll. While it isn’t moving, she knows that Sentience in Magic Creations takes time to develop, and so she’s just glad that her magic doesn’t seem to have rebounded or failed in any way.

Well, except for the fact that she woke up on the floor of the warehouse, when she doesn’t remember falling asleep.  _ Hmmm _ .

Lisa returns her attention to Mr. Foreman, who is handing her an unopened water bottle. She hurriedly opens it and gulps down the water within, barely stopping herself from choking. After she’s finished more than half of it, she stops and turns to Mr. Foreman. “Sir? What are you doing here? I thought I had this place to myself all day? Unless...” She frowns, concerned about what’s going on.

“Miss, it is the end of the day. When I saw your car was still here, I came in to ask you to leave, and found you unconscious there with your doll. Are you okay?”

_ Mr. Foreman is very kind _ , she thinks idly as she processes the fact that she has lost half a day. It had only been nearing noon when she started. “I’m fine, sir. I’m very hungry and tired, but that can easily be remedied by a big meal and a nice rest. No need to worry about me.” She flashes him a smile, though she is worried herself. It’s true that she’s tired and hungry, both of which are easily fixable, but she is also Magically Drained, which has happened to her only once and is something she had never wanted to happen to her again. She’s probably going to wake up incredibly sick tomorrow, but she’s well enough to drive herself back to campus for now.

She tells this to Mr. Foreman (minus the Magically Drained and being sick part) and though he appears doubtful, he still helps her gather up her stuff as she gathers her energy to stand up and walk to her car. As she does, though, she stops to stare at the floor around her. Where she knows just a few hours ago there had been an organized mess of Magic scribbles, there is simply a clean floor. 

_...Huh. That’s...unexpected. _

She is still thinking about the clean floor as she thanks and says goodbye to Mr. Foreman. The drive home is mostly a blur to her, and it’s a good thing she has several charms in and on her car that increase luck and decrease the chances of an accident. When she gets back to her dorm, she thanks whatever higher power there may be that she had had the foresight to make herself a full meal before heading out that morning, in anticipation that she would be tired and hungry. She barely remembers eating or changing into her pajamas. She is asleep almost before her head hits the pillow.

The whole time, she doesn’t let the doll out of her grasp.

* * *

She spends the next four and a half weeks miserably sick, forcing herself to get up and go to her classes, because she has put so much time, effort, and money into getting her degree, she’s not going to abandon it all now.

During those weeks, in between classes, naps, and seemingly endless homework, she continues documenting everything that happens to the doll. So far: nothing. Other than the initial change in appearance, nothing has happened to the doll. But, she doesn’t lose hope. She knows that sometimes the development of Sentience in a Magical Creation can take years. She hopes hers doesn’t, but she’s prepared for that eventuality.

She eventually recovers from her Magical Exhaustion caused illness, and is happy to reassure her mother that nothing’s wrong, she just caught a particularly nasty bug. Her paper, due at the end of the year, is coming along well, and while she wishes she’ll be able to include her experiment in it, she doubts it will happen. So instead, she makes sure it is the most well-written research paper ever written, makes sure all of her arguments are sound and all of her sources are cited correctly. The rest of her classes go well, and while she still feels uncomfortable with the stiffness of professionally taught magic, she has gotten used to it over the years and so she manages to pick less fights.

Soon, the day comes. Her paper has been polished to perfection and turned in to Professor “Call Me Peter” Danse, and today is the day it will be published in ‘Magic Weekly, Professors Edition’, and Lisa finds herself more nervous than she has ever been in her life. Her graduation is just around the corner and her final report card will be arriving any day now, but she can’t find it in herself to care about those things. Finally, she will be getting recognition, people will recognize her talents, she will gain respect from those who she has idolized her whole life.

She waits a few hours, and then goes looking for reviews, both in the magazine itself and online. She knows she brought up several arguments that haven’t been made before, and restated arguments that have been poorly represented prior to this. Someone, somewhere,  _ has _ to think it’s well-written and insightful. (Someone other than her mother, someone who knows about these things, someone who actually  _ matters _ .)

Nothing. There are several discussions about her classmates works, some of which got five stars and glowing critics, and some of which were less well received, but still got good reviews, saying that they had potential, or they almost had a good point, and they just needed a little more work. She frantically scrolls through all of the forums and message boards she can find, flipping through the pages of the magazine, hoping that she just missed something.

Finally she finds one.

_ Boring and unintelligent. The arguments don’t make any sense, and none of the sources seem to have anything to do with whatever point the author is trying to make. Beyond that, the focus of the paper is vague, unrealistic, and pedantic. 1 of 5 stars. _

_ ~Argen Herod _

She can feel the world spinning around her. She renews her search to find other reviews, but keeps finding her way back to that one. Her vision begins to blur, and she can’t figure out why until she touches her cheeks and feels water on them. She’s crying. She knows this review is wrong - she shared her work with everyone she knows, from family to friends to acquaintances. She got an A on the paper from Professor Danse.

But this is Argen Herod. One of the leading experts in Theoretical Magics, who has written countless papers on Magical Sentience. One of her idols, a person who she has looked up to for a good half of her life.

And he’s saying that her paper is - that she is - unintelligent and boring. That it’s bad, and he only gives it one out of five stars. 

She wonders if a person can die of a broken heart, because that’s what it feels like right now. Her chest hurts, and the world around her is fading away. It takes her a second to realize that she’s stopped breathing, and it takes her several more to start again. The ache in her lungs goes away, but it doesn’t stop her chest from hurting.

She sets her computer on her desk and moves towards her bed, all the while feeling like she’s not the one in control of her body, as if she is just a spectator.

This was meant to be the culmination of a life of struggling, and yet it is simply more strife. Perhaps she should have seen it coming, really.

As she curls up on her bed and cries, holding her doll to her chest, she can almost imagine it is hugging her back.


	5. Evolution

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lisa wakes up with a weight on her chest and her eyes crusted shut from tears. She wishes she could say she had several moments where she was in blissful ignorance, but that isn’t true. She doesn’t have the luxury of not remembering why she cried herself to sleep, and it is all she can do to not burst into tears all over again. She steels herself, taking several deep breaths, and opens her eyes to face the day.

**_Lisa Henri_ **

**_2019 Augustis 23_ **

**_The History of Magic and the Developing Sentience of Magic Creations Over Time_ **

_ {Excerpt from page 28 paragraph 6} _

_. . . those who say that Magical Artificial Intelligence (MAI) is merely fiction are stuck in the past. After all, the same used to be said of Technological Artificial Intelligence (TAI), and yet as the years go by our society comes ever closer to a true TAI.  _

_ Part of the problem, however, comes with how one measures intelligence and sentience. How can we be sure an AI has not been created when . . . _

* * *

Lisa wakes up with a weight on her chest and her eyes crusted shut from tears. She wishes she could say she had several moments where she was in blissful ignorance, but that isn’t true. She doesn’t have the luxury of not remembering why she cried herself to sleep, and it is all she can do to not burst into tears all over again. She steels herself, taking several deep breaths, and opens her eyes to face the day.

Or rather, to face a pair of bright golden eyes. She blinks in confusion, and the eyes blink back. She spends several more seconds lying still in shock, before jolting up in shock. She catches her doll in her hands, and it gives a startled shout.

“What the fuck?” She almost manages to forget her woes in the face of this new development.

“What the fuck?” Her doll, her Creation, mimics her question in a young sounding voice. She almost laughs at the sound of a little doll saying “fuck,” but then realizes. Those are probably its first words. It’s first words were swears. This thing she created, the sentient being that is the equivalent of her first child, just swore.

“Shit. Fuck-no! I mean damn-fffffffffuuudge. Don’t repeat any of those, okay? They’re bad words.” She cradles the doll softly in her arms, and gently shakes her fingers at it. Its pretty golden eyes blink up at her.

It tilts its head to the side. “Okay.” 

She sighs in relief, hoping it actually understood, and it wasn’t just saying okay as a copy of her. That crisis averted, she turns her attention to her dear doll. Her doll that is alive!! That is talking!! That is learning!! She feels a smile rip across her face. She may have had one of the most crushing moments in her life, but she is also having one of the most amazing experiences ever right now. She’s just done what only one other person in history has ever accomplished: created a true Artificial Intelligence using magic. A real, Sentient, Magic Creation.

Well, she’ll have to test out the learning spells to make sure everything is working okay and it’s actually sentient, but so far things seem to be going well.

Her attention is brought back to the miracle in her lap as it begins giggling - once again mimicking her, she realizes, because she had begun laughing at some point. Her heart melts. It is so incredibly cute. It has dark skin, not far from the color of the wood it was carved from, with shoulder length dark curls and those magnificent, golden eyes. It is, without exception, the cutest thing she has ever seen in her entire life, and she will fight anyone who disagrees. (And as anyone who has ever met her knows, she means she will actually, physically fight someone; it is not a meme or joke when she says it.  _ She has a lot of pent-up anger and aggression, and fighting is a quick and easy way to get rid of it. _ )

* * *

It is young. It is new. It does not know enough. But it does know some things. It knows that of all of its knowledge, three facts are the most important:

  1. The being that is holding it is the Creator. 
  2. The Creator is to be protected at all costs.
  3. Something has hurt the Creator.



It does not yet know how it is to protect the Creator, nor what has caused the Creator distress, but that can be remedied. Indeed, simply its presence seems to be decreasing the distress its Creator is feeling. Soon, the Creator is making a sound. It can feel joy from the Creator, so it mimics the noise, anticipating more joy. It is correct; the joy within the Creator grows. The Creator begins making noises again; it thinks the Creator is speaking. It needs to learn to do as the Creator is doing. How is it to properly protect the Creator if it cannot communicate with the Creator? The Creator is carrying it, though it does not know where. The Creator picks up an object and opens it. It contains images. The Creator speaks, and points to an image. It tilts its head. It seems the Creator is attempting something. What is it?

The Creator repeats the same series of sounds as before, and continues pointing at the image. It is of a creature with dark spots on it. It focuses on the sounds the Creator is making, and then tries its best to mimic it. “Cow.” The Creator once more feels pleased, and bares teeth at it. It thinks that perhaps this is another way to show joy. It once more mimics the Creator, and is incredibly pleased to find the Creator’s joy increasing even more.

The Creator turns to a new part of the object, and points to a new image. “Horse.”

“Horse.”

“Yes! Very good!”

“Yes! Very good!” The Creator laughs when it mimics this time, and it realizes it must have repeated something that was not meant to be repeated, like the first words it heard from its Creator.

This continues, and it learns many more words. Soon, it hopes, it will be able to communicate in full with its Creator, and it cannot wait for that day to come. 

It needs to ask what caused the Creator distress, and then end the cause.

* * *

She is so happy. She doesn’t know if she’s ever felt this joyous and high in her life. Her doll, her Creation, is responding to her. It is learning as she teaches it words, and behind its eyes she can practically see it making connections and forming conclusions. She is so proud, she can’t stop smiling.

Her Doll is thinking, is  _ alive _ . She did it. She did what only one person in all of history is only  _ rumored _ to do!

She can’t wait to show someone this. There’s still a week left before the university closes its doors for the summer, so she’ll need to spend it teaching her little Doll, and then share her Creation with the world. She’d have liked to show her mother first, but her family lives several states away, and she doesn’t think she can keep this quiet for long enough to reach her childhood home. So, she’ll have to make do with showing her Doll to her mother second. 

Professor Danse would be the first to know, she decides. He had been the one to root her on the most this past year, and she owes quite a lot to him. She makes a mental note to make an appointment with him before it became too late, and returns her attention to her Darling.

She finds beautiful golden eyes staring back at her, and she smiles at the adorable being in her arms. Her Doll smiles back, and Lisa wants to cry at how precious and perfect her Doll is. She wonders if this is how all mothers feel when their babies are first born? She hasn’t known her Precious for more than a few hours at this point, and already she knows she would do anything to protect the little Doll. ( _ There is a part of her, the part that is angry and loves to fight, that whispers “anything? Would you truly do anything?” And she tries to ignore the fact that her first and only response to that is “Yes.  _ **_Anything_ ** _.” _ )

Before she becomes too lost in thought, however, her Darling Doll tugs on her hair and looks at her with questions in those golden eyes. The Doll points to the picture of the horse in the children’s book she had bought specifically to teach her eventual creation. “Horse.” Then, a delicate hand points at Lisa. “Creator.” Finally, the Doll points to itself (themself?) and tilts its (their?) head in question. 

It takes Lisa a moment to understand what her Doll is asking, and then she takes several more seconds to take pride in the fact that her Creation is aware enough to realize that if others have names or titles, it (they? She really needs to figure out this gender thing, if only so she’s not calling her Darling an it) must have a name as well.

Then Lisa blanks, because she knows she had written down a list of possible names for her Creation, but none of the ones she had chosen before seem to fit the little piece of Perfection cradled in her arms. She wants something that perfectly fits her Creation. It hits her as she stares into the golden eyes of her Darling. They look like pools of molten gold, and they glow with the magic that powers the Doll.

She is not fluent in Chinese, but she knows enough to get by due to her studying, and one word comes to mind, the Chinese word for gold. 金, or Jīn. Her Doll, her Jīn, is golden in every way - its eyes, its magic, its soul, and its purpose. Maybe it is cheesy, or cliche, but to Lisa it just feels...right.

After what is too long of a pause, though Her Doll doesn’t seem bothered by the wait, Lisa finally responds, trying to speak slowly and simply so the Doll can better learn. “You are called Jīn.” She holds her hand to her chest and says, “Creator,” using the term Jīn had used before, then points to the Doll. “Jīn.” She waited a moment, then repeated the exercise, watching Jīn as it (they?) focused; she could just about see thoughts racing through the Doll’s mind.

“Jīn.” The Doll repeated its name. Lisa smiled as her Darling seemed to grow very excited, and began repeating “Jīn” over and over again.

She hasn’t forgotten the horrible sadness of the day before, but it doesn’t feel quite so very devastating while she has her dear Jīn in her arms.


	6. Lessons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jīn is not very old yet - they have lived for such a short time in comparison to their Creator, and it is awe-inspiring to see the wisdom the Creator has cultivated. However, it is also distressing, because Jīn cannot protect their Creator yet. Luckily, their Creator is determined to share her wisdom with them, and already they feel much more knowledgeable than they were at their Awakening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am not the happiest with the ending of this chapter, but that's kinda why I'm posting this story - to try and get feedback.  
> So if you have any criticism, please let me know! 
> 
> Thank you for reading!
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter! :D

Jīn is not very old yet - they have lived for such a short time in comparison to their Creator, and it is awe-inspiring to see the wisdom the Creator has cultivated. However, it is also distressing, because Jīn cannot protect their Creator yet. Luckily, their Creator is determined to share her wisdom with them, and already they feel much more knowledgeable than they were at their Awakening.

For one, they understand that there is a difference between them and the Creator, beyond simple size. The Creator, despite the barrier in communication that had plagued them for too long (Jīn would think any length of time unable to understand their Creator was too long, really, so this is not saying much), had managed to explain that the Creator is what is called a “Human.” Jīn does not understand the significance of this name, but from the shows they have seen on the “Computer,” they understand that most of the Creator’s peers are also “Human,” and thus they should investigate the term so they can be aware of any possible dangers.

Jīn is not a “Human.” They are a Doll, created in every way by their Creator, and gifted with life by the good-will of the Creator. After learning how “Humans” are made, Jīn finds themself even more in awe of their Creator. She is so amazing!

Jīn had spent the first half of their Life simply learning how to speak and understand the language their Creator spoke. After all, how could they protect the Creator if they couldn’t understand her?! It was through this intense study that they eventually managed to hold conversations with their Creator. They adored how joyous their Creator would get every time they showed an increased mastery in anything, so they strived their hardest to do their absolute best, to please their Creator. And in these conversations, a new topic revealed itself.

“Gender.”

Jīn can’t say they quite understand the nuances. In some ways they found, “Gender” seemed to mirror biological sex, but in many other ways it had nothing to do with it. What was the point? The Creator had gone on some kind of rant about “closed-minded assholes - don’t repeat that word, okay sweetie? - who hate anything different from them” and “gender norms caused by a patriarchal society,” but again. Jīn doesn’t quite understand all of that stuff. They still have quite a bit of learning to do, after all.

And the idea of pronouns was almost as confusing, though more logical, as it actually affected how one would speak with someone. Jīn, after a long and confusing explanation, accepted that the Creator would like to be called “she,” and that while they didn’t mind what they were called, they didn’t really connect to either the female or male “Genders.” Thus, they decided to go by “they.” Perhaps it would change later, once they actually know who they are, but for now it is the one they relate to most.

Today is a special day, Jīn knows, because the Creator has been nervous since they both awoke with the sun, and it is a disconcerting change from the rest of the memories they have of her. After all, barring the jarring sense of distress that had awoken them and the initial shock at their appearance, the Creator has been joyful and excited all their life. Jīn hopes nothing bad is going to happen today; they are not yet ready or able to protect their Creator as well as they desire.

Before Jīn can work up the courage to question the Creator (because as much as the Creator has attempted to stop Jīn’s idolization of her, they are quite determined to show their Creator as much love and joy as possible, in return for all that she has given them), she turns to them and begins talking.

As is the norm, she has to repeat herself a few times, and Jīn does their best to stifle the frustration they feel because they can understand what she is saying better than before, but with little success. They feel something begin to prickle in their eyes, and they barely register the shocked murmur of “tears?” from their Creator before she is picking them up and humming softly as she sways slowly.

They register liquid on their face, and move their hands to find out why. They soon find their hands covered in a clear liquid, and after watching many dramatic shows on the Creator’s “Computer,” they guess these must be “Tears.” Time passes without Jīn noticing, and soon their Creator stops humming and begins speaking again, slower this time.

“I wish we could spend all day like this Jīn. But we have a meeting. I want you to meet someone. A mentor. You are amazing, my Doll, and I want to show you off to the world, but not yet. You are still so young.”

Jīn finds that their tears are slowly stopping, and they give in to the urge to smile at their Creator. She thought they were amazing! And she worried about them! (That was very pleasing, but also wrong. They should be the one to worry about her.) The Creator smiles back, and continues talking to Jīn as she begins moving about the room in a hurry. Jīn simply listens as best as they can, knowing that they aren’t meant to understand all of this, it’s too fast for that, but willing to try so they can get better.

“Professor Danse is basically the only person not related to me that actually believes in me and my talent, and he’s so kind. I wish I could show you off to my mom, because she would love you once she got used to the idea that technically she’s a grandma. I mean not really, but also yeah, because you’re my baby and I love you, and no way am I giving you up or anything like that, I mean can you believe...”

Jīn is set in a soft bag, and looks up at the happy face of their Creator. When the Creator pulls the bag over her shoulder and heads towards the door, her talking falls into the background.

They are going to leave! Jīn has spent the entirety of their life in one room, and while they would not mind never leaving as long as the Creator is there with them, they are very excited to have the opportunity to see the outdoors in person. They have watched several shows, but they don’t know how well the fake images reflect the real world.

Jīn is disappointed to realize the door to the room does not lead outside, but instead to a hallway filled with more doors, but perks up at seeing a few other Humans, the first other than their Creator that they had seen in person. They wish they could call out to those Humans, ask them about what it’s like to be so very tall and soft instead of small and sturdy, what “Gender” they were and what pronouns they liked, all sorts of questions flow into their head, and they almost became dizzy with them. 

They don’t call out, however, because they are unsure if they would be able to understand these Humans. Even their Creator sometimes speaks too fast for them, and she tries to slow down her speech. These Humans wouldn’t know to do that, and Jīn can’t bear the thought of somehow disappointing their Creator by not being able to talk to “Humans” other than her. So they stay quiet, and soon decide they were right to do so when one of the other Humans makes an ugly expression and says something to their Creator.

They don’t know what was said, they didn’t recognize the words, but the way the words were said...Jīn decides they don’t like that. And when they feel their Creator stiffen and feel over their bond that they are distressed...Jīn decides that they really don’t like these other Humans. They will be keeping a careful eye on these Humans.

But before they can do anything more than narrow their eyes, their Creator walks through another door, and all they can feel is wonder. Their eyes widen in awe. They are mesmerized.

Everything is so... _ alive _ . The trees are so much more green and vibrant than they thought could be possible, and there are so many sounds filling their ears. There are Humans everywhere, talking to one another, running around, laughter in the air. They try and count how many small creatures they have seen scurrying across the ground and into the trees, but quickly lose count.

They cannot focus on any one thing, too entranced with everything happening around them. Jīn, overwhelmed with the activity all around, huddles down in their bag and peeks only one eye out. As overwhelmed as they are, they can’t let their Creator go somewhere without them on watch, can they? That would just be irresponsible.

Soon, their Creator approaches a large red building, and they realize this must be their destination. 

They will be meeting someone their Creator has called a “mentor.” So Jīn must evaluate this Human and make sure they will not harm the Creator.

They will not allow anyone to cause harm to the Creator.


End file.
